1800–1899
The 19th century
Whose names filled the books of the 19th century — anyone at all, however long dead — counted as mentions per million words printed, so a period that simply published more does not inflate anyone.
Talked about then
Whose names appeared most in Russian books during the 19th century — whenever they lived.
In books written inEnglish18,114German3,599French3,347Italian1,787Spanish1,162Russian325Hebrew105Chinese9
#PersonIn print, 1800–2019Per million words
- 1
Patriarch Nikon of Moscow1605–1681 · 17th century · Religious Figures6.7 - 2
Macarius, Metropolitan of Moscow1482–1563 · 16th century · Writers3.1 - 3
Nikolai Rezanov1764–1807 · 18th century · Historical Figures1.3 - 4
Boris Godunov1552–1605 · 16th century · Politicians0.99 - 5
Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich of Russia1859–1919 · 19th century · Historical Figures0.94 - 6
Patriarch Joachim1621–1690 · 17th century0.86 - 7
Vasili IV of Russia1552–1612 · 16th century · Historical Figures0.86 - 8
Nikolay Karamzin1766–1826 · 19th century · Writers0.85 - 9
Nicholas Alexandrovich, Tsesarevich of Russia1843–1865 · 19th century · Historical Figures0.83 - 10
Anna of Russia1693–1740 · 18th century · Politicians0.82 - 11
Nikolay Semyonov1896–1986 · 20th century · Scientists0.75 - 12
Ivan I of Tver1357–1425 · 14th century · Historical Figures0.66 - 13
Avraamy Palitsyn1550–1626 · 16th century · Writers0.64 - 14
Ivan I Aleksandrovich, Prince of Smolenskdied 1359 · 14th century0.62 - 15
Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich of Russia1779–1831 · 19th century · Politicians0.62 - 16
Elizabeth of Russia1709–1761 · 18th century · Historical Figures0.58 - 17
Alexandra Velyaminova1301–1364 · 14th century0.57 - 18
Peter the Great1672–1725 · 18th century · Politicians0.53 - 19
Maximus the Greek1475–1556 · 16th century · Writers0.53 - 20
Grand Duchess Alexandra Pavlovna of Russia1783–1801 · 19th century · Historical Figures0.43 - 21
Grand Duke Peter Nikolaevich of Russia1864–1931 · 19th century · Historical Figures0.42 - 22
Grand Duke Michael Nikolaevich of Russia1832–1909 · 19th century · Politicians0.42 - 23
Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia1895–1918 · 20th century · Historical Figures0.39 - 24
Grand Duke Konstantin Nikolayevich of Russia1827–1892 · 19th century · Historical Figures0.39 - 25
Grigory Orlov1734–1783 · 18th century · Historical Figures0.38 - 26
Alexander I of Russia1777–1825 · 19th century · Historical Figures0.36 - 27
Leo Tolstoy1828–1910 · 19th century · Writers0.35 - 28
Alexander Bestuzhev1797–1837 · 19th century · Writers0.34 - 29
Ivan the Terrible1530–1584 · 16th century · Politicians0.33 - 30
Pyotr Panin1721–1789 · 18th century0.33 - 31
Ippolit Bogdanovich1743–1803 · 18th century · Writers0.33 - 32
Peter III of Russia1728–1762 · 18th century · 🇩🇪 Germany · Historical Figures0.31
- 33
Stefan Yavorsky1658–1722 · 17th century · Academics0.30 - 34
Grigory Potemkin1739–1791 · 18th century · Politicians0.30 - 35
Boris of Tver1400–1461 · 15th century0.29 - 36
Ivan Mazepa1639–1709 · 17th century · Politicians0.29 - 37
Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia1899–1918 · 20th century · Historical Figures0.29 - 38
Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia1850–1908 · 19th century · Historical Figures0.29 - 39
Vasily Vasilyevich Golitsyn1643–1714 · 17th century · Politicians0.28 - 40
Paul I of Russia1754–1801 · 18th century · Historical Figures0.28 - 41
Grand Duke Paul Alexandrovich of Russia1860–1919 · 19th century · Politicians0.28 - 42
Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov1727–1797 · 18th century · Writers0.28 - 43
Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia1690–1718 · 18th century · Politicians0.27 - 44
Nicholas I of Russia1796–1855 · 19th century · Models0.26 - 45
Alexander Pushkin1799–1837 · 19th century · Writers0.26 - 46
Dimitry of Rostov1651–1709 · 17th century · Writers0.26 - 47
Alexander Griboyedov1795–1829 · 19th century · Politicians0.25 - 48
Alexander Herzen1812–1870 · 19th century · 🇨🇭 Switzerland · Writers0.24 - 49
Vissarion Belinsky1811–1848 · 19th century · Academics0.23 - 50
Konstantin Aksakov1817–1860 · 19th century · Writers0.23 - 51
Nikita Panin1718–1783 · 18th century · Politicians0.22
- 52
Symeon of Polotsk1629–1680 · 17th century · Writers0.21 - 53
Aleksei Musin-Pushkin1744–1817 · 18th century · Writers0.21 - 54
Alexis of Russia1629–1676 · 17th century · Historical Figures0.21 - 55
Xenia Shestova1560–1631 · 16th century0.20 - 56
Mikhail Lermontov1814–1841 · 19th century · Writers0.19 - 57
Olga Nikolaevna of Russia1822–1892 · 19th century · Historical Figures0.19 - 58
Pavel Fedotov1815–1852 · 19th century · Artists0.19 - 59
Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich of Russia1858–1915 · 19th century · Writers0.19 - 60
Dmitry Shuisky1560–1612 · 16th century0.19 - 61
Nikolay Alexandrovich Lvov1753–1803 · 18th century · Academics0.18 - 62
Alexey Venetsianov1780–1847 · 19th century · Artists0.18 - 63
Catherine Pavlovna of Russia1788–1819 · 19th century · Historical Figures0.18 - 64
Fyodor Alekseyev1755–1824 · 18th century · Artists0.18 - 65
Grand Duchess Alexandra Nikolaevna of Russia1825–1844 · 19th century · Historical Figures0.17 - 66
Konstantin Batyushkov1787–1855 · 19th century · Writers0.15 - 67
Mykhailo Maksymovych1804–1873 · 19th century · Writers0.15 - 68
Nicholas Repnin1734–1801 · 18th century · Writers0.15 - 69
Kirill Razumovsky1728–1803 · 18th century · Politicians0.14 - 70
Natalya Alexeevna of Russia1673–1716 · 18th century · Writers0.14 - 71
Grand Duchess Natalya Alexeyevna of Russia1714–1728 · 18th century0.14 - 72
Nikolai Leskov1831–1895 · 19th century · Writers0.13 - 73
Aleksei Fedorovich Adashev1510–1561 · 16th century · Politicians0.13 - 74
Alexander Shishkov1754–1841 · 18th century · Writers0.13 - 75
Joseph Volotsky1440–1515 · 15th century · Writers0.12 - 76
Alexander Menshikov1673–1729 · 18th century · Politicians0.12 - 77
Nikolay Dobrolyubov1836–1861 · 19th century · Academics0.11 - 78
Ivan the Young1458–1490 · 15th century · Historical Figures0.11 - 79
Konstantin of Uglich1389–1434 · 15th century0.11 - 80
Dmitry Pozharsky1577–1642 · 17th century · Politicians0.11 - 81
Gleb Uspensky1843–1902 · 19th century · Writers0.10
- 82
Pyotr Andreyevich Tolstoy1645–1729 · 17th century · Writers0.10 - 83
Alexander Suvorov1730–1800 · 18th century0.10
- 84
Grand Duke George Alexandrovich of Russia1871–1899 · 19th century · Historical Figures0.10 - 85
Alexander Ivanov1806–1858 · 19th century · Artists0.10 - 86
Ivan Krylov1769–1844 · 19th century · Writers0.09 - 87
Ivan Dmitriev1760–1837 · 18th century · Writers0.09 - 88
Alexander Sergeyevich Menshikov1787–1869 · 19th century · Politicians0.09 - 89
Mikhail of Tver1271–1318 · 14th century · Politicians0.08 - 90
Peter Ivanovich Shuvalov1711–1762 · 18th century · Politicians0.08 - 91
Maxim Gorky1868–1936 · 20th century · Writers0.08 - 92
Vladimir Odoevsky1803–1869 · 19th century · Writers0.08 - 93
Oleg I of Chernigov1052–1115 · 11th century · Historical Figures0.08 - 94
Mikhail Vorontsov1782–1856 · 19th century · Politicians0.08 - 95
Faddey Bulgarin1789–1859 · 19th century · Writers0.08 - 96
Tikhon of Zadonsk1724–1783 · 18th century · Religious Figures0.08
- 97
Konstantin of Rostov1185–1218 · 13th century · Politicians0.08 - 98
Peter II of Russia1715–1730 · 18th century · Politicians0.08 - 99
Kirill II of Kyiv1250–1280 · 13th century0.08 - 100
Alexander II of Russia1818–1881 · 19th century · Historical Figures0.08
Lived then
The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 19th century, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.
#PersonIn print, 1800–2019Echoed
- 1
Karl Marx1818–1883 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics17 decades - 2
Friedrich Nietzsche1844–1900 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics15 decades - 3
Arthur Schopenhauer1788–1860 · Academics20 decades - 4
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel1770–1831 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics21 decades - 5
Carl Friedrich Gauss1777–1855 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics11 decades - 6
Ada Lovelace1815–1852 · Academics3 decades - 7
Max Weber1864–1920 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics15 decades - 8
Friedrich Engels1820–1895 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics17 decades - 9
Søren Kierkegaard1813–1855 · Academics3 decades - 10
Henri Bergson1859–1941 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics12 decades - 11
Émile Durkheim1858–1917 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics11 decades - 12
Thérèse of Lisieux1873–1897 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics10 decades - 13
David Hilbert1862–1943 · Academics14 decades - 14
John Stuart Mill1806–1873 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics18 decades - 15
Henri Poincaré1854–1912 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics13 decades - 16
Ralph Waldo Emerson1803–1882 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics19 decades - 17
Andrew Carnegie1835–1919 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics14 decades - 18
Sofia Kovalevskaya1850–1891 · 🇸🇪 Sweden · Academics14 decades - 19
Auguste Comte1798–1857 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics22 decades - 20
Jean-François Champollion1790–1832 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics6 decades - 21
Nikolai Lobachevsky1792–1856 · Academics9 decades - 22
Ludwig Feuerbach1804–1872 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics19 decades - 23
Évariste Galois1811–1832 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics6 decades - 24
John Dewey1859–1952 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics14 decades
- 25
Theodor Mommsen1817–1903 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics18 decades - 26
Edmund Husserl1859–1938 · Academics12 decades - 27
Charles Babbage1791–1871 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics20 decades - 28
Wilhelm von Humboldt1767–1835 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics22 decades - 29
Vladimir Vernadsky1863–1945 · Academics8 decades - 30
William James1842–1910 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics18 decades - 31
Joseph Fourier1768–1830 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics11 decades - 32
Ferdinand de Saussure1857–1913 · 🇨🇭 Switzerland · Academics12 decades - 33
Thomas Robert Malthus1766–1834 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics8 decades - 34
Georg Cantor1845–1918 · Academics14 decades - 35
Bernhard Riemann1826–1866 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics12 decades - 36
Vissarion Belinsky1811–1848 · Academics15 decades - 37
Ernest Renan1823–1892 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics17 decades - 38
Swami Vivekananda1863–1902 · 🇮🇳 India · Academics13 decades - 39
Georgi Plekhanov1856–1918 · Academics11 decades - 40
Max Stirner1806–1856 · Academics18 decades - 41
Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling1775–1854 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics9 decades - 42
Herbert Spencer1820–1903 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics17 decades - 43
Jacob Grimm1785–1863 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics21 decades - 44
David Ricardo1772–1823 · Academics21 decades - 45
Heinrich Schliemann1822–1890 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics15 decades - 46
Vladimir Dal1801–1872 · Academics10 decades - 47
Gustave Le Bon1841–1931 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics15 decades - 48
Gottlob Frege1848–1925 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics9 decades - 49
Sophie Germain1776–1831 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics18 decades - 50
Vladimir Solovyov1853–1900 · Academics14 decades - 51
Vilfredo Pareto1848–1923 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics13 decades - 52
Charles Fourier1772–1837 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics19 decades - 53
Alfred North Whitehead1861–1947 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics10 decades - 54
Ramakrishna1836–1886 · 🇮🇳 India · Academics14 decades - 55
George Boole1855–1864 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics9 decades - 56
Brigham Young1801–1877 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics19 decades - 57
Wilhelm Wundt1832–1920 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics15 decades - 58
Georg Simmel1858–1918 · Academics13 decades
- 59
George Santayana1863–1952 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Academics9 decades - 60
Charles Sanders Peirce1839–1914 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics9 decades - 61
François Arago1786–1853 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics18 decades - 62
Augustin-Louis Cauchy1789–1857 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics0 decades - 63
John Herschel1792–1871 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics0 decades - 64
Niels Henrik Abel1802–1829 · 🇳🇴 Norway · Academics1 decades - 65
Francis Galton1822–1911 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics17 decades - 66
Jane Addams1860–1935 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics14 decades - 67
Friedrich Schleiermacher1768–1834 · Academics21 decades - 68
Karl Weierstrass1815–1897 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics8 decades - 69
Frédéric Bastiat1801–1850 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics18 decades - 70
Hermann Minkowski1864–1909 · Academics9 decades - 71
Allan Kardec1804–1869 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics16 decades - 72
Peter Gustav Lejeune Dirichlet1805–1859 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics0 decades - 73
Louis Auguste Blanqui1805–1881 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics19 decades
- 74
William Rowan Hamilton1805–1865 · Academics16 decades - 75
Franz Boas1858–1942 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics14 decades - 76
Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi1804–1851 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics1 decades - 77
Felix Klein1849–1925 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics15 decades - 78
Max Müller1823–1900 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics5 decades - 79
Andrey Markov1856–1922 · Academics6 decades - 80
Georges Sorel1847–1922 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics12 decades - 81
Thorstein Veblen1857–1929 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics11 decades - 82
Pafnuty Chebyshev1821–1894 · Academics4 decades - 83
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda1858–1922 · Academicsnot measured— - 84
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad1835–1908 · 🇮🇳 India · Academics4 decades - 85
Houston Stewart Chamberlain1855–1927 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics13 decades - 86
Alfred Marshall1842–1924 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics16 decades - 87
Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī1838–1897 · Academicsnot measured— - 88
Henri Fayol1841–1925 · 🇫🇷 France · Academics11 decades - 89
James George Frazer1854–1941 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics8 decades - 90
Muhammad Abduh1849–1905 · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Academics5 decades - 91
Henry George1839–1897 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics19 decades - 92
August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben1798–1874 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics6 decades - 93
Oliver Wendell Holmes1841–1935 · 🇺🇸 United States · Academics18 decades - 94
Karl Pearson1857–1936 · 🇬🇧 United Kingdom · Academics14 decades - 95
`Abdu'l-Bahá1844–1921 · Academics0 decades - 96
Kitasato Shibasaburō1853–1931 · 🇯🇵 Japan · Academics0 decades - 97
Carl Menger1840–1921 · 🇦🇹 Austria · Academics14 decades - 98
Christian Doppler1803–1853 · 🇦🇹 Austria · Academics8 decades - 99
Emil Kraepelin1856–1926 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics14 decades - 100
Bruno Bauer1809–1882 · 🇩🇪 Germany · Academics19 decades
How this is measured
- Placing people in time. Each person belongs to the century in which they were most active — around age 35, and never after their death.
- Who ranks highest. Within a century, people are ranked where two independent signals agree: how many of the world’s Wikipedia language editions cover them, and how many people actually read about them. Article counts alone can be lifted by a person’s own circle; readers cannot.
- Fame in print. The curves count how often a name appears in Google Books from 1800 to 2019, as a share of all the words printed each year, in the person’s own language wherever that corpus exists. Those decades are over, so each measurement is made once and kept.
- What is left out. A lifetime is measured only from 1820, when there is enough print to judge; the five years after a death are skipped as obituaries; and a name shared with someone equally notable is credited to neither.